To investigate the effects of ethylene, in the form of ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid), on mycelial growth and ganoderic acid (GA) accumulation in the higher basidiomycete Ganoderma lucidum. Treatment with both 10 and 15 mM ethephon enhanced the growth of G. lucidum on solid CYM plates and in CYM liquid medium. After optimization using response surface methodology, GA reached 33 mg/g dry cell weight (DW), an increase of 90 %, compared with the control. Lanosterol and squalene contents were 31 and 2.4 mu g/g DW, being increased by 1.2- and 0.6-fold, respectively, in response to ethephon. Additionally, the transcriptional levels of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase, squalene synthase and oxidosqualene cyclase were up-regulated by 2.6-, 4.3- and 3.8-fold, respectively, compared with the control group. This approach provides an efficient strategy for improving GA accumulation in G. lucidum, with potential future applications.